U.S. NAVY 

S of tJlQ W( 



COLOMBO 





LD 



DITTY BOX GUIDE BOOK SERIES 



BUREAU OF NiWIGATION 
NAVY DEPARTMENT 




Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2010 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/colomboceylonindOOunit 




DEVIL DANCERS OF CEYLON 



^ 



D 






Contents 

Page 

Introduction ----- . - - - xo 

A Raid by Pirates 1^ 

Ashore in Colombo .._ _----j.o 

The Weeping Trees 20 

The Buried Temples 21 

Davie's Misfortune ------------- 

Devils and Drums -------------- '^o 

The Dancing Cobras - - - - 29 

A Visit to Kandy ^^ 

Elephant Hunting ^"^ 

The Sacred Tooth 36 

A Treasure Island ------------- ^' 



The Pearl Divers 



40 



Churches in Ceylon -------- 

Money and Exchange -------------44 

A Bathing Resort ----- 44 



Seven 



Foreword 



INCH warships flying the American flag have made the world of 

S waters their cruising grounds and since they carry with them 

scores of thousands of seagoing Americans, the personal inter- 
est of the Nation in ports, far and near, has necessarily increased 
in recent years. 

In order to furnish valuable information to officers and 
enlisted men of the Navy, who visit these foreign countries — 
as well as to other travelers on official business — the Bureau 
of Navigation is preparing individual guidebooks on the principal ports in 
all quarters of the globe. 

Although every effort has been made to include accurate information 
on most important subjects connected with this port, it is realized that some 
important facts may have been omitted and that certain details may be 
inaccurate. Any information concerning omissions or inaccuracies, addressed 
to Guidebook Editor, Bureau of Navigation, will be appreciated. The in- 
formation will be incorporated into revised editions. 

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the National Geographic Society 
for its suggestions, both as to editorial policy and the interesting details 
concerning Colombo and its environs. 

Acknowledgment is made to Underwood & Underwood, Publishers' 
Photo Service, and Brown & Dawson for the photographs contained in this 
guidebook, which photographs are copyrighted. 



Nine 




SAMPANS OF CEYLON 



Eleven 




SACRED ELEPHANTS, CEYLON 



Twelve 



Introduction 




AGNIFICENT harbor of a populous island in the region of 
typhoons and monsoons, the port of Colombo, Ceylon, 
assumes many of the aspects of a glorified comic opera in 
the eyes of the American or European who spends most of 
his life in the matter-of-fact Occident and then voyages 
to this far corner of the mysterious and dreamy Orient. 
Civilization has come to Ceylon since the island was 
taken over — first by the Portuguese, then by the Dutch, 
and finally the English ; but the natives have maintained to a great extent 
their picturesque dress and customs. This fact, coupled with tropical 
scenery, has made Ceylon a subject deserving of attention in a Gilbert and 
Sullivan musical fantasy. 

Of course Ceylon has no eccentric Sultan, around whom such an opera 
could be written, and that, perhaps, is one of the reasons why Sulu became 
famous instead of Colombo. 

The white man has made Ceylon a center of commerce, from which trade 
and tourist routes radiate to Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, China, 



Thirteen 



Japan, the United States, and many African ports. He has given the island 
an excellent system of railroads and 3,000 miles of macadamized roads. 
He has built up huge plantations for growing tea, tobacco, and cocoanuts. 
He has given Ceylon a veneer of civilization in places and has polished that 
veneer, too! But modern civilization has not spread as yet to all sections 
of Ceylon, and for that reason, principally, the island is both a delight and 
a wonder to the wanderluster in search of something new to arouse his jaded 
spirit of curiosity and interest. 

The native population of Ceylon is composed largely of Singhalese, or 
Sinhalese, a light brown people from India. The Singhalese, being Aryans, 
are a branch of the race from which the white races of the United States 
and Europe descended. 

Before the Singhalese came over from India, Ceylon was occupied by 
barbarous tribes, a few of whom still live in a state of savagery in the wilds 
of the eastern jungle. 

But the immigrant whites, the Singhalese, and the savages are not the 
only peoples living in this land of polyglot people off the coast of India. 
There are Moors with shaven heads, swarthy Afghans with gleaming white 
teeth and long beards, Parsees in outlandish head-dress, Tamils with reli- 



Foiirteen 



gious symbols tattooed on their foreheads — and many others, all of whom 
go to make up the island population of nearly five million souls. 

Ceylon, of course, is a tropical island, and the luxuriant growth of palm 
and bamboo, the abundance of sugary fruit, and the heavy odor of orchids, 
all combine with the picture presented by long stretches of white sand on 
the seashore, the coppery sun in the sky, and the hot breezes of the mon- 
soon, to fill the blood of the traveler with the spell of the tropics. 

In Ceylon we shall see herds of gray elephants, fawn-colored humped 
bulls of India, and parrots that look exactly as if they might have belonged 
to Long John Silver — he of the crutch — in Robert Louis Stevenson's 
"Treasure Island." 

We have nearly forgotten the deadly snakes of the island, the charmers 
who play shrill tunes on flutes, the opaque milk-white pearls found in the 
oyster beds of Ceylon, and the wild, barbaric thrumming of the tom-toms 
at night when the unwinking moon stares down from the dark sky. And, 
too, we have almost forgotten the buried temples, the elephants, the devil 
dancers, and the jewel mines. But they will be discussed more fully fur- 
ther on, and since we have lingered quite long enough in this introduction, 
let us turn to the next page and begin the story of the port of Colombo and 
the island of Ceylon. 



Fifteen 



COLOMBO 




A RAID BY PIRATES 

KYIvON was left to the con 
trol of various Eastern 
races until 1506, when a 
fleet of Portuguese vessels 
embarked on a pirate raid 
against the Moorish ships 
trading in the waters of 
the Indian Ocean. 
The fleet encountered the Moors and at 
about the same time found the island of 
Ceylon. Its richness excited the cupidity 
of the Portuguese captain, Major Lourencjo. 
He hastened to make a temporary peace 
with the Moors and also obtained a treaty 
of trade. 

The Portuguese ships remained at Cey- 
lon for a short time and then left the island 
only to return again as pirates and traders. 
The buccaneers kept up their raids until 
they gained a footing at Colombo, after 
which they began to plot with the natives 
for control of the island, eventually build- 
ing a fort near the harbor. The Portuguese 
sphere of influence continued to spread until 
they obtained possession of those portions 
of the island nearest the sea. 





The Palm-Fringed Shores of Ceylon 

Ceylon continued under Portuguese rule 
until 150 years later, the period being filled 
with almost constant warfare between the 
invaders and the native tribes. Shortly 
after Philip II took possession of Portugal 
the island passed under the Dutch flag, 
although bitter fighting continued for many 
years before the Portuguese were finally 
driven out. 

Seventeen 



COLOMBO 




The English gained complete control of 
Ceylon shortly before the French Revolution ; 
the island was annexed to the British Em- 
pire and has so continued to the present day. 

ASHORE IN COLOMBO 

SHIPS sailing along the coast 
of Ceylon near the harbor 
of Colombo seem almost to 
be nearing the portals of 
an earthly paradise or a 
second garden of Eden. 
The illusion is remarked 
not only by travelers but 
by natives, and tradition claims that Ceylon 
was actually the first home of Adam and 
Eve. Another version of the popular legend 
related that Ceylon was not the "original 
garden" but the abode of Adam after he 
had been cast out of Eden. 

The best view of the harbor from the 
approaches on the Indian Ocean is offered 
shortly after daybreak when the morning 
mists are melting under the warm rays of the 
early sun and the thousands of palm trees 
lining the shore are bright-green with new 
life after bathing in dew through the night 

Eighteen 





The ship enters the harbor through pas- 
sages between the massive breakwaters and, 
after anchoring, is usually surrounded by a 
fleet of small canoes constructed from the 
trunks of trees and balanced by outriggers. 
They are paddled by individuals of the many 
races who make their homes on the Colombo 
water front. The dusky citizens invariably 
endeavor to sell precious stones and other 
articles of trade to the traveler at four or 
five times a fair price. 

Passengers go ashore in launches, canoes, 
or whaleboats. The distance varies from a 
few hundred yards to a mile, according to 
the ship's place of anchorage in the harbor. 
Upon landing at the quay or jetty the visitor 
is impressed by the cleanliness of the mod- 
ern districts of the port, although Colombo 
has its slums and native sections as well. 

The two principal streets, York and 
; Queen, run south from the passenger jetty; 
York Street being east of the other thorough- 
fare, which is directly opposite the landing. 
A few blocks' walk up one of the streets to 
Chatham Street, and over on the other and 
back to the landing will take the visitor 
past the majority of the principal buildings, 
institutions, and stores of Colombo. 



COLOMBO 



On the water front hundreds of teams of 
fawn-colored humped bulls are patiently 
drawing chests of tea to the wharfs where 
the bundles of fragrant leaves are loaded in 
boats by Singhalese coolies and transferred to 
waiting steamers. These Singhalese coolies 
can not work without jabbering at the top of 
their voices — and they are quite proficient 
at swearing in their native tongues. They 
are very successful in cursing American and 
European sailors, too, not because the sail- 
ors are meeker or milder than in other por- 
tions of the world, but because the coolies 
curse in Singhalese in very amiable tones, 
and the sailors never know they are being 
cursed, and never suspect, since the coolie 
rips out profanity with a smile on his face. 

Colombo can be toured in a day even 
though the visitor may not have a guide. 
Probably the most interesting section of the 
port, as far as the scenic is concerned, is the 
native quarter. 

Every native wears a distinctive cos- 
tume in accordance with caste or social 
station, the attire ranging from the loin 
cloth of the coolie to the flowing robes of 
the wealthy merchant. The babies who 
sprawl on the sidewalks and in the streets i 





Landing Quay at Colojnbo 

are, as a rule, clad only in wreaths of smiles. 
The dress of the women is even more 
picturesque than that of the men, and the 
members of the fair sex in Colombo, from 
servants to native belles, attire themselves 
in assortments of jingling bangles, jewelry, 
multi-colored clothing, and curious hats — 
all representing a decided departure from 
the latest Paris creations. 

Nineteen 



COLOMBO 




THE WEEPING TREES 

NE of the central points in 
Colombo is the lighthouse 
standing on the southeast 
corner of the rectangle 
formed by York, Chatham, 
and Queen Streets. Al- 
though the lighthouse is in 
the city, it serves its pur- 
pose very well since it is on a high elevation 
not far from the harbor line. 

The road to Galle runs south from the 
lighthouse. One of the many pranks of 
nature in Ceylon is played on the traveler 
who ^valks along the road on a pleasant 
morning. The sun may be shining and the 
sky may be bare of clouds but the pedestrian 
feels rain drops falling on him as if he were 
in the midst of a tropical shower. Looking 
up he finds that he is passing under a ' ' weep- 
ing tree," or "rain tree," whose leaves fold 
at night and collect drops of moisture 
which are showered down when the sun 
opens the leaves in the morning. 

The Galle Face Drive — a narrow strip 
of landscape gardening a mile long, with the 
sea on one side and a lake on the other — 
winds by the British military barracks 

Tventii 




Looking South on Queen Street 

which stands on the foundations of an old 
Dutch fort. 

The drive is under military control and 
is used extensively for football, cricket, and 
other games. Kollupitiya road runs through 



COLOMBO 




Banyan Tree, Victoria Park 

the drive, continuing along the coast to Mount 
Lavinia. The Market, the Colombo Club, and 
Galle Face Hotel are located along the road. 
Victoria Park, a popular musical and 
recreational center, is a short distance south. 



of Colombo. Band concerts, promenades 
and drives, golf links, and tennis courts 
afford entertainment for the throngs of 
people from the city who visit the park. 

The Colombo Museum, one of the at- 
tractions at Victoria Park, is known for its 
collection of articles peculiar to Ceylon. 

The banyan tree constitutes one of the 
natural curiosities in the park. The banyan 
is a specie of the fig tree; its branches droop, 
become rooted in the soil and grow into a 
new tree, the process being repeated until 
the single tree becomes a grove. 

" The curious whimsical banyan tree, 
Which isn't at all like it ought to be, 
It perversely grows upside do^vn, you see." 

THE BURIED TEMPLES 

HE early history of Ceylon 
is fully as romantic as any 
narrative of later events, 
and the traveler finds as 
much of ancient as of 
modern interest during a 
tour of the island. 

To understand some- 
thing of ancient Ceylon we must turn back 
to about 3,000 years ago when the island 

Txventy-O'iie 




COLOMBO 




Ruanweli Dagoba, Anuradhapura 

was occupied by savage tribes whose descend- 
ants still live in the remote districts un- 
molested by the present owners. 

Since the first inhabitant left almost 
nothing to satisfy the curiosity of modern 
scientists and archaeologists, it remained 

Tuenty-Tu'O 




for the people of the Aryan race to bring 
Ceylon into an advanced stage of culture. 
They cultivated the soil and built magnifi- 
cent cities and, following the introduction 
of Buddhism to the island during the third 
century before Christ, they erected monu- 
mental temples where the natives wor- 
shipped long before the dawn of civilization 
in northern Europe. 

Many of the ancient temples and some 
of the cities were buried in tropical jungles 
or under many feet of earth in the ages 
after they were built and apparently were 
lost for all time. Excavations during the 
last century or two, however, have resulted 
in the uncovering of many of the ruins 
which stand to-day as miracles of archi- 
tecture even when viewed by the standards 
of our advanced civilization. 

One of the most famous of the excavated 
temples is that of the Ruanweli, or gold- 
dust dagoba, at Anuradhapura, which is itself 
the site of many buildings erected by Tissa, 
an ancient king of Ceylon, and his successors. 
Anuradhapura is in the northern part of the 
island and can be reached by way of the 
road from Colombo to Trincomale. 



COLOMBO 



The Ruanweli appears from a distance 
to be a hill about i8o feet high, dotted with 
dwarfed trees and surmounted by a spire. 
The earth, however, simply covers a mass of 
brick which composes the dagoha. The 
main portion of the temple, or shrine, rises 
above five platforms made of brick and 
ascending stair-wise to the dome. About 
400 massive brick elephants stand on the 
four sides of the first step as if on guard 
against intruders. Scattered about the da- 
goha are huge statues of Buddhas and mon- 
archs of Ceylon, friezes, stone lions, and other 
parts of the original structure of the temple. 
The excavations are entirely completed. 

Another ancient temple is that of 
Isurumuniya which was hidden until nearly 
50 years ago by the jungle but has since 
been partially excavated. The temple 
stands near large lotus ponds where the 
crocodiles lie in wait for their prey and 
occasionally crawl out on the banks to 
bask in the tropical sun. 

There are many other ruined temples 
and palaces at Anuradhapura which is 125 
miles by rail from Colombo. All help to 
give the traveler a glimpse of the ancient 
civilization of Cevlon. 




Bo-Tree at Anuradhapura 

Another relic of Buddha at Anuradha- 
pura is the sacred bo-tree, whose history is 
entwined as closely in the history of the 
island as its roots are in the brown soil of 
northern Ceylon. 

The sacred bo-tree is said to have grown 
from a branch of the fig tree under which 

Tiventy-Three 



COLOMBO 



Buddha often sat in meditation. One of 
the ancient kings in Ceylon planted the shp 
at Anuradhapura where it has flourished 
for more than 2,000 years. The offspring 
of the sacred bo-tree form a grove around 
one of the temples. Cuttings have also 
been planted in various parts of the island, 
one of them being in front of the Mercantile 
Bank in Colombo. 

Before proceeding again to modern Cey- 
lon, one more incident in the history of the 
island must be described for the edification 
of the readers. The incident concerns an 
uprising against the British shortly after 
their occupation of Ceylon. It takes us 
back to more than a century ago. 

DAVIE'S MISFORTUNE 

HE troops in Kandy are all 
dished, your honor!" 

This message, delivered 
by Corporal Barnsley of 
the British army to the 
commander at Fort Mc- 
Dowell, conveyed the news 
of the massacre of Davie's 
troops at the crossing of the Mahaweliganga 
River in the month of July, 1803. 

Twenty-Four 




Corporal Barnsley had considerable dif- 
ficulty in voicing even so short a message, as 
the muscles of his neck had been severed by 
the blow of a sword so that he was obliged 
to support his head with his hands. 

The sole survivor of the massacre — with 
the exception of Davie — Corporal Barnsley, 
had walked the 18 miles from the river to 
the fort to warn the garrison against a pos- 
sible attack by the Kandyans under the 
treacherous Pilima who had engineered the 
attack on Davie's command. 

Following is the story of the massacre as 
told by Barnsley: Pilima, who claimed to 
be a descendant of a line of Singhalese kings, 
besieged the British garrison at Kandy 
during the latter part of June. Major 
Davie, after many of his 300 British and 700 
Malayan troops had been killed and wound- 
ed, consented to a parley with Pilima. 

It was agreed that the British should be 
permitted to march to Trincomale — about a 
week's march from Kandy. The road to 
Trincomale is crossed by the Mahaweliganga 
River and when Davie reached the stream 
he found to his dismay that it had been 
swollen by recent rains. Passage at the 
time was impossible. 



OLOMBO 



The troops camped for two days around 
an ancient bo-tree — which still stands — and 
Pilima then offered to help them across the 
river, and to furnish guides, provided the 
British gave up their arms. Davie ac- 
cepted the offer in good faith, but no sooner 
were the soldiers disarmed than the Kandy- 
ans perpetrated the act of treachery which 
sent the unfortunate Corporal Barnsley to 
Fort McDowell with his head in his hands. 

The British and the Malays were paired 
off, two by two, led out of sight in a gully, 
and murdered with sword and club. Cor- 
poral Barnsley was the last man to go into 
the death trap and, when he saw the bodies 
of his comrades, endeavored to make his 
escape. He was caught. A bloody sword 
came down on the back of his neck. He fell 
to the ground, apparently dead, but a short 
time later regained consciousness. He saw 
the Kandyans running about the field. 
They were clubbing the heads of the slain. 
When Barnsley's turn came he received a 
blow which again rendered him unconscious. 
Revived by a downpour of rain he crept into 
the bushes where he lay all night. 

Despite his injuries, Barnsley succeeded in 
reaching Fort McDowell. He gave his message 




to Captain Madge, the officer in command. 
The guns of Fort McDowell were spiked, the 
garrison made a forced march of lo days to 
Trincomale, and Barnsley marched the entire 
distance, still holding his head in his hands. 
Davie was taken to Kandy where he 
died in captivity some years later. And 

Tirenty-Five 



COLOMBO 




Kandyan Chiefs 

that is the story of Davie's misfortune and 
the travels of Corporal Barnsley. 

TiientySix 





DEVILS AND DRUMS 

UPERSTITION plays an im- 
portant factor in the life of 
the natives of Ceylon, and 
if the visitor is to believe 
all that the people tell 
him, he is sure to see weird 
creatures of the shadow 
and phantom figures with 
livid faces peering at him from behind every 
tree and bush. 

Instead of endeavoring to drive the evil 
spirits away by carrying the left hind foot 
of a graveyard rabbit killed in the dark of 
the moon, or some other mysterious and 
potent charm, the native attempts to pla- 
cate the spirits. He never does anything he 
thinks will displease them. 

According to the natives the country is 
so crowded with evil spirits and devils that 
unless they worship them they will be de- 
stroyed and sent to a place of torment. 

It is interesting to note that in adhering 
to this belief the natives of Ceylon regard 
religion from an entirely different angle and 
in a very different light from the Christian. 
The white man worships God, or that which 



COLOMBO 



is good; while the islanders seek to placate 
the devil, or that which is evil. 

When the stranger mocks the supersti- 
tions of the people they admit the folly of 
their actions but, left to their own devices, 
they immediately go back to kow-towing 
before the innumerable evil spirits conjured 
up by their imaginations. And the voodoo 
doctors of Africa, the medicine men of our 
own Indian tribes, and the witches of me- 
dieval times never performed their incan- 
tations with more fervor than do the devil 
dancers of modern Ceylon. 

The devils and evil spirits of Ceylon are 
evidently partial to music, for drums and 
tom-toms play an important part in the 
native ceremonies — the most picturesque 
and exciting of which are held during the 
time of harvest. 

The agriculturist, true to his instincts, be- 
lieves that the success or failure of his crops 
depends on the good will of the devils. From 
the time the seed is planted until the crop is 
ready for the scythe he wastes a great deal of 
time in paying homage to his favorite devil. 

The strangeness of some of the cere- 
monies is shown by the method of procedure 
the islander follows when he wishes to 




Tom-Tom Players in the Temple Grounds, Kandy 

invoke the help of the spirits in clearing 
insects from the paddy fields. He first 
waits until nightfall, since, it seems, the 
devils prefer shadows to sunlight. Then he 
goes out of his house and steals three brooms 
from three different houses. The brooms 
can not be purchased, they must be stolen. 
The native then ties the brooms together, 
hangs them on his waist string, walks to the 

Twenty-Seven 



COLOMBO 




Buddhist Religious Procession, Kandy 

field, ambles around it three times, 
buries the three brooms. 

The next morning the native goes to the 
field again. He catches a fly which he holds 
in rosin smoke, meanwhile jabbering a mys- 
terious incantation over and over again. 
The devil is then pleased, in the opinion of 
everyone; and the native considers that his 
crop is safe. If the grain is destroyed by 
storms or insects a few weeks later, however,; 

Tirentjj-Ei/jht 




Priests' Bathing Place on the Lake, Kandy 

he never blames the devil but scolds himself 
for having possibly performed the cere- 
mony in a slovenly manner, thereby anger- 
ing the spirits instead of pleasing them. So 
in Ceylon the spirits always win. 

Devil worship in Ceylon is at its height 
during the harvest season when the people 
gather in the paddy fields to carry out the 
superstitious ceremonies prescribed by an- 
cient custom. 



COLOMBO 



The devil dancers and astrologers, hav 
ing decided that the time for cutting the 
first sheaf is near, send out the summons to 
appear. The tom-tom players proceed to 
the fields where they join the reapers, and 
spectators also assemble to witness the 
solemn rites of spirit worship. The tom- 
tom players are clad in white skirts, colored 
belts, and turbans. The upper portions of 
their bodies are often decorated with an 
elaborate harness of ornaments. 

Reaping is begun to the melancholy 
wail of the tom-tom. As the sheafs collect 
they are carried to the threshing floor by 
the women. Here further ceremonies are 
carried out, all attended with the utmost 
seriousness, and finally the grain is threshed 
under the hoofs of buffaloes and winnowed 
and then stored in the granaries. At the 
end of the harvest, the devil dancers, tom- 
tom players, and laborers return to their 
homes, happy in the belief that the grain is 
fit to eat — since the rights of the spirits 
have been respected throughout the grow- 
ing season. The harvest ceremony varies 
in different sections of the island, but the 
basic principles of the rites are the same 
although they may vary in minor details. 





THE DANCING COBRAS 

OME parts of Ceylon literally 
swarm with snakes, prom- 
inent among them being 
the cobra de capello, the 
most deadly of venomous 
serpents. Many thou- 
sands of the natives of 
Ceylon have fallen victims 
to the fangs of the cobra, but all efforts to 
wipe out the reptiles on the island have 
failed— principally because of superstition. 
The followers of Buddha believe that at one 
time the cobra spread its hood over their 
leader while he slept and that in gratitude 
he placed the spectacle mark on its hood 
as a token of immunity against attack. 

Snake charmers, numerous in Colombo 
and other sections of Ceylon, display 
astonishing skill in handling the cobras and 
other reptiles without harm to themselves. 
The cobra is a favorite pet with the native 
charmers, and they give weird exhibitions 
for the benefit of tourists who are invariably 
more or less fascinated by the sight. 

The snake charmer carries the cobra 
around in a gourd, jug, or basket woven 

Twenty-Nine 



COLOMBO 




Snake Charmers in Colombo 

from reeds, and when he is ready to give an 
exhibition, places the gourd on the ground 
and squats in front of it. A crowd gathers. 
The charmer draws a small flute from his 
ragged clothing and begins to play a moaning 
air, sometimes low and sometimes rising to 
a high pitch that grates on the ears of 
the spectators and sets their teeth on edge, 

Thirtij 




A moment later and a rustling sound as 
of a file scraping against wood is heard in- 
side the gourd, and then the flat vicious 
head of the cobra rises over the edge, fol- 
lowed by the brov\Ti and blue body. The 
cobra sometimes stavs in the jar and some- 
times crawls gracefully to the ground where 
it coils the lower half of its body as a sup- 
port for the upper half which rises in the air. 

The music becomes a bit drear and 
continues — for a time — until the cobra be- 
gins swaying back and forth, its body vi- 
brating in response to the music. Its lid- 
less eyes seem to be covered with a whitish 
film. During all this time the charmer is 
swaying back and forth as he knows that 
the cobra is responsive to rhythm of mo- 
tion as well as to rhythm of sound. Sud- 
denly a new note creeps into the music of 
the flute. The cobra becomes excited and 
raises its hood, displaying the yellow spec- 
tacle mark on the back; and the movement 
of the snake's body continues until it is 
literally dancing a sinuous dance in response 
to the spell of the flute. 

The music dies out. The cobra con- 
tinues its dance for a while and then 
stretches out its head with a flick of the 



COLOMBO 




Bird's-Eye View of Kandy 

forked tongue as if seeking again the 
sound of music. Then it slumps down in 
a coil and in a sort of stupor. In this con- 
dition it is easily handled by its owner. 

The snake charmers believe themselves 
to be immune from the poison of the cobra. 
They claim that the reptiles they own still 



retain their fangs and poison sacs, but the 
tourist is usually inclined to doubt this 
statement. 

When a visitor wanders from the beaten 
paths into the fields and jungles he should 
carry an antidote or antiophidian serum in 
case of emergency. Ferguson gives the 
following directions for treating snake 
bites : Stop the return circulation by bandag- 
ing; cup or suck out the poison; take an 
antidote which may be purchased at any 
druggist's; inject antiophidian serum; re- 
move the ligature, and give the patient warm 
tea or coffee and wrap him in blankets. 

A VISIT TO KANDY 

ANDY, the former capital 

of Ceylon, seat of the 

Buddhist religion on the 

island, and regarded as 

the most beautiful locality 

in the British Empire, is 

72 miles by rail from 

Colombo. 

The town, resting beside a lake in a 

natural basin hollowed out of the hills, is 

surrounded by scenes of almost indescribable 

beautv and grandeur. 

Thirty-One 




COLOMBO 



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BHBB fMEBMBK.'V'' • ^»| 


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the evening time when the black shadows 
of night are partially dispelled by the 
myriads of fireflies which hang their lan- 
terns on the hillsides, and by the moon 
whose rays make the fronds of the palms and 
the leaves of the plantains stand out in 
bold relief against the dark blue of the 
Indian skv. And at night, too, the natural 






Victoria Drive, Kandy 

Roads leading to Kandy are touched on 
either side by masses of flower beds, trees, 
blossoming shrubs, and bushes. Hills and 
valleys seem almost buried under the lux- 
uriant tropical vegetation whose shades of 
green form a velvety setting for the moun- 
tain crags rising in the distance. 

The loveliness of Kandy in the morn- 
ing and twilight hours is equalled only in 

Tkirty-Two 




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mystery of the ancient temples — now crum- 
bling to pieces in the districts around the 
town — seems to be intensified by fleeting 
shadows which assume many shapes and 
give rise to rumors of spirit orgies that send 




Raja, the Giant of the Temple Elephants, Doing His 
Star Trick Standing on Two Feet 




Elephant Assisting His Rider to Mount 

the devil-doctors to their incantations and 
the tom-tom men to their drums. 

]\Iany miles of carriage drives, bridle 
paths, and walks skirt the edges of the lake, 
rambling through the surrounding hills to 
the bungalows occupied by foreign resi- 
dents of Kandy, and by wealthy natives. 

On the road to the ancient capital the 
traveler passes through some of the most 
fertile portions of the island. He sees 

Thirty- Three 



COLOMBO 



rice fields, banana plantations, forests of 
ebonv, satinwood, and cinchona, or quinine 
trees. Sir Thomas Lipton, the British 
sportsman, who has won distinction as a 
competitor in the international yacht races, 
has extensive tea and coffee plantations 
along the road to Kandy. 

Second-class and third-class tickets for a 
round trip to Kandy can be purchased for 
$3 and $2, respectively. 

ELEPHANT HUNTING 

HERE Americans have mo- 
tor trucks to do their 
hauling the natives of Cey- 
lon have elephants, and the 
huge animals display much 
sagacity in understanding 
and carrying out the tasks 
assigned to them. 
In traveling to Kandy the visitor often 
sees herds of elephants bathing in near-by 
streams and using their trunks to throw 
quantities of water on their backs — and 
sometimes on their mahouts, or drivers, just 
to be impartial. 

. There are several thousand tame ele- 
phants in Ceylon, and great herds of wild] 

Thirty-Four 




IS 




elephants that range the almost impene- 
trable jungles often engage in desperate 
fights with hunters who go to kill them for 
their tusks and hides. Sometimes the 
hunter is successful and returns laden with 
ivory, and sometimes he meets an angry 
bull which his elephant gun fails to stop. 
He is hurled against a tree or trampled under 
foot, and another tragedy is recorded in 
blood on the jungle grass. 

Although the elephants of Ceylon often 
breed in captivity, their numbers are fre- 
quently depleted by death or export and 
the supply must be replenished by "requi- 
sitions" from the jungle herds. 

The practice of trapping the elephants 
in pits has been largely abandoned since, in 
falling, the animals often injure themselves 
so badly as to be of little future use. At 
present the wild pachyderms are usually 
captured with the aid of tame elephants 
trained especially for the purpose. The 
trained animals approach the prospective 
captive and range themselves on either side 
of him while the hunters, carefully keeping 
out of sight, pass ropes around his legs. A 
long rope is kept trailing so if the elephant 
discovers his danger before the task is com- 



COLOMBO 



pleted and retreats, the hunters will be able 
to follow and tie him to a convenient tree. 
After the elephant is tied he begins a frantic 
struggle to liberate himself, but, provided 
always the ropes and tree hold, he is finally 
exhausted, and when he becomes hungry 
and thirsty the taming has begun. The 
process of domestication, requiring several 
months, is completed when the elephant has 
learned to respect and obey his master. 
Some elephants, however, can never be 
completely tamed, and Avhen one of these go 
musth he usually leaves a number of killed 
and injured along the path he takes in his 
wild journey. 

Sometimes the elephants are not cap- 
tured singly but are taken in herds. Such 
a feat requires considerable patience and 
requires weeks or months in the undertak- 
ing. The herd is driven toward a previously 
prepared enclosure. When it has entered, 
the gate is closed and the customary method 
of training is started. 

The elephants of Ceylon are Indian ele- 
phants — differing from the African species 
in that tusks are present only in the males 
and are little more than half as large as the 
tusks of their cousins to the west. And, 







The Dalada Maligawa or Temple of the Tooth, Kandy 

too, the ears and eyes of the elephants of 
Ceylon are smaller and there are other minor 
differences. 

White elephants are greatly prized in 
Ceylon as well as other Eastern countries. 

Thirty-Five 



COLOMBO 




Palm Avenue in the Peradeniya Gardens 

The saying "He has a white elephant on 
his hands" comes from an ancient Siamese 
custom. The ruler of Siam would send a 
number of white elephants to a subject 
with whom he was displeased, and the sub-- 

Thirty-Six 




ject would be required to keep the elephants, 
being forbidden to sell them or dispose of 
them in any way, and ultimately the ele- 
phants would eat the unfortunate owner 
"out of house and home." Elephants do 
not furnish the only big game hunting in 
Ceylon, as there are leopards, bears, water 
buffaloes, and deer in large numbers. The 
visitor who contemplates a hunting trip 
should study the laws regulating such 
expeditions in Ceylon. 

THE SACRED TOOTH 

NE of the principal places of 
interest to all visitors in 
Kandy is the famous Tem- 
ple of the Tooth on Mala- 
bar Street. The temple, 
containing what is said to 
be a tooth of Buddha, is 
regarded as a sacred relic 
of the ancient philosopher. The tooth is 2 
inches long and i inch wide, and in the eyes 
of doubters resembles a piece of ivory from 
the tusk of an elephant. The natives, how- 
ever, solemnly swear that it is actually a 
tooth of Buddha. The relic is kept in an 
inner temple and ordinarily can be seen 




COLOMBO 



only from a distance and through thick 
bars, but on special days of festival the 
high priest of the temple brings the tooth 
out and permits devout pilgrims to gaze 
upon it. 

The Audience Hall, where offenders were 
tried by the priests in ancient times, stands 
in the grounds adjoining the temple. Near 
the Kandy Kachcheri, located behind the 
Audience Hall, is a museum and the head- 
quarters of the Kandyan Art Association. 
This building, formerly the native queen's 
palace, is near the former palace of the 
Kandyan kings. Descendants of the old 
Kandyan nobility still live in the town and 
on solemn occasions they wear their colorful 
chieftain robes. 

The city is overshadowed by a mountain 
3,000 feet high which rises from the territory 
south of the lake. The original name of the 
peak was " Mattanpatana " but the British 
have renamed it "Mutton Button." 

Animals, plants, and trees peculiar to 
the tropics have been gathered at the 
Peradeniya Gardens, 5 miles from Kandy, 
for the benefit of tourists who may travel 
that way. There are brilliantly plumaged 
birds, parrots, centipedes, "flying fox" bats 




rubber trees, and the "king of grasses" (the 
bamboo) which sometimes attains a height 
of 75 or 100 feet. 

Adams Peak, 7,420 feet high, stands on 
the road to Nuwara Eliva at Hatton Station, 
a little more than 100 miles from Colombo. 
The proprietor of the hotel at Hatton 
arranges mountain climbing parties which 
are very popular since Adams Peak is the 
most celebrated, although not the highest, 
mountain on the island. 

The principal hotels of Kandy are 
Queen's and the Suisse, both overlooking 
the lake. The tourist season lasts from 
October to April. During these months it 
is best to reserve rooms in advance. 

A TREASURE ISLAND 

EYLON is literally a Treasure 
Island, containing nearly 
2,000 gem mines and quar- 
ries from which rubies, 
moonstones, sapphires, gar- 
nets, amethysts, and other 
precious stones are brought 
from the depths of the 
earth where they have been resting for 
thousands — and perhaps millions — of years. 

Thirty-Seven 




COLOMBO 




Queen's Hotel, Kandy 

The product of the mines is scattered 
through many lands, and since ancient 
times the crowns of kings and emperors and 
the rings and necklaces of women of won- 
drous beauty have glittered with the jewels 
of Ceylon. 

Ratnapora, center of the gem mining 
industry on the island, can be reached by 
way of the road from Colombo through the 
Pettah. 

The mining is almost entirely in the 
hands of natives who have acquired con-j- 

Thirty-Eight 



siderable skill in digging for the precious 
stones. Occasionally a large jewel worth 
five or ten thousand dollars is discovered 
and then there is rejoicing among the owners 
and much excitement among the diggers. 
Although a majority of the stones are of 
medium size, a good percentage of them are 





Native Shops in the Pettah, Colombo 



COLOMBO 



flawless and of exquisite coloring, and their 
market value is thereby increased. 

The owners of the gem mines and quar- 
ries contribute a considerable amount of 
money to the Government of the island every 




Thuparma Dagoba, Anuradhapura 

year and the cost of many extensive im- 
provements in roads and buildings is covered 
by the funds received from this source. 
And, too, the mines give work to many 
natives and bring prosperity to their owners, 
and so the good fortune of Ceylon in having 
such properties is very apparent. 

Although many of the jewels are sent to 
European and Asiatic cities for cutting and 

Thirty- Nine 



COLOMBO 



polishing, the extensive output of the mines 
gives work in normal times to nearly 500 
native lapidaries whose shops in Colombo, 
Kandv, and native villages on the island are 
favorite visiting places for strangers. 

The lapidaries work patiently away with 
their crude instruments and often succeed 
in engraving intricate and beautiful designs 
on some gems as well as doing the standard 
cutting and polishing work on others. 

THE PEARL DIVERS 

HILE much of the adven- 
ture has been taken out of 
pearl fishing in Ceylon as a 
result of strict Government 
supervision, the spirit of 
romance still casts a glamor 
around the industry and 
furnishes themes for many 
a tale by Eastern story-tellers. 

In November of every year the Govern- 
ment surveys the pearl banks to decide on 
the advisability of holding a pearl fishery. 
Conditions being favorable the date is usually 
set for March and April of the ensuing year. 

Forty 






Rubber Tree, Peradeniya Gardens 

When the announcement is made that a 
pearl fishery will be held, the news quickly 
spreads through India, the Persian Gulf, 
Burma, the Malay Peninsula, and other 
oriental districts, and, within a month, a 
town peopled by 40,000 or more men, women 
and children of a dozen nationalities appears 



COLOMBO 




Women Street Cleaners, Kandy 

on the northwest coast near the Gulf of 
Malabar — the pearl oyster grounds. The 
streets are named, and to facilitate business 
the town is divided into various quarters for 
the accommodation of Government officials, 
pearl merchants, divers, and traders. 

When the opening day of the season 
draws near hundreds of boats form a lin^ 



along the shore as sprinters line up for a 
race. When the word to start is given, the 
boats sail to the fishing grounds and anchor 
in the most favorable places. The divers 
then "strip for action" and drop feet fore- 
most into the warm waters of the gulf, 



Forty-One 



COLOMBO 




Temple of Lampati, Lake Near Kandy 

grasping ropes to guide their descent. They 
remain under water from 40 to 90 seconds, 

Forty- Two 



during which time they fill their baskets 
with oysters and then signal to their mates 
in the boat and are hauled up. 

Some of the divers from the Malabar 
coast simply plunge head first into the 
water. On reaching bottom they place one 
foot in a loop near the anchoring stone at 
the end of the rope and remain at work 
until the need for air sends them to the 
surface. 

The diving lasts through the day. At 
sunset a signal gun is fired, the fleet hoists 
sail, and starts on a spirited race for the 
shore. The first crew to arrive has an ad- 
vantage over the others, in that it is the 
first to market a cargo of pearl oysters, for 
which the merchants pay high prices as they 
desire to obtain early samples of the catch. 

Before the divers are permitted to land 
they must submit to search by customs 
ofiicials, for the practice of concealing pearls, 
which has become widespread, causes con- 
siderable loss in revenue to the Government. 

Sometimes the divers themselves open 
the oysters they have picked up from the 
bed of the gulf. Often they sell their catch 
to merchants and speculators who throng 
the beach in great numbers. The divers 



COLOMBO 



receive a third of the value of the catch. 
The remainder goes to the colony. The 
value of the pearls and shells obtained in the 
fisheries range, generally, from $1,000,000 to 
$2,500,000. The season lasts for 6 or 7 weeks. 
At intervals the pearl oysters disappear 
for several years at a time and at such in- 
tervals the fisheries are of course abandoned. 
Two such periods lasted from 1837 to 1854 
and from 1863 to 1874. Although the Gov- 
ernment maintained a close watch over the 
beds during those years, no trace of the 
bivalves could be found, and the cause of 
their disappearance has yet to be ascertained. 

CHURCHES IN CEYLON 

HILK Buddhist temples and 
Mohammedan mosques pre- 
dominate among the places 
of worship in Ceylon, there 
are also Christian churches 
where the tourist may at- 
tend the services of his 
own religion. 
Several of the representative Christian 

churches in Colombo are as follows: St. 

Thomas' Cathedral (Episcopal), Mutwal; 

Santa lyucia Cathedral (Roman Catholic) ,1; 





Mount Lavinia Beach 

Mutwal; St. Peter's (Episcopal), the Eort; 
Trinity Church (Episcopal)', Maradana Rd. ; 
St. Andrew's (Church of Scotland) , near Galle 
Face Hotel. There are Protestant churches 
also in the Pettah, Cinnamon Gardens, and 
Woldendahl. 



Forty-Three 



COLOMBO 



^ 


.-.^Mi*,Jk^iS^^ 


^^■\M 


't^ ' .'F''^JV*^L^B: 


> 


w 



Native Fishermen at Mount Lavinia 

The Y. ^I. C. A. in Colombo has its 
headquarters in the association building, 
Racquet Court. Besides regular features, 
such as reading rooms, gymnasium, and 
baths, the Colombo Y. M. C. A. has organ- 
ized clubs, including an Athletic Club and a 
Cyclists' Union. 

MONEY AND EXCHANGE 

The currency of Ceylon consists of the 
following coins and paper notes: Copper, ^' 

Forty-Four 




I -cent and 6,l:^-cent pieces (equivalent to 
2 cents American money or id. English 
money); nickel, 5-cent pieces; silver, Indian 
rupees (equivalent to about 32 cents Amer- 
ican money or is. 4d. English money); 50- 
cent, 25-cent, and lo-cent pieces; gold, 
British sovereigns (equivalent to 15 rupees 
or $4.87X par value) ; paper, notes ranging 
from I rupee to 1,000 rupees issued by the 
Government of Ceylon. War conditions 
have increased the value of the rupee. It 
is now worth about 50 cents American 
money, the British sovereign being worth 
about 10 rupees. 

A BATHING RESORT 

N EIGHT-MILE train ride 
from Colombo brings the 
traveler to Mount Lavinia, 
a popular bathing resort of 
Ceylon. The beach is shel- 
tered from storms and pro- 
tected from sharks by en- 
circling rocks and reefs. 
The Mount Lavinia Hotel, originally built 
as a home for one of the former governors, 




COLOMBO 



stands on a rocky promontory which com 
mands an excellent view of the ocean. The 
railroad to Lavinia extends along the shore 
through the tropical jungles. 

Another pleasant trip from Colombo is 
by trolley from York Street to Maradana 
and Borella, via the Royal College, Police 
Headquarters, and a magnificent Moham- 
medan mosque standing at Campbell 
Park. 




Three other popular jaunts from Colombo 
are as follows : Through the Pettah to Grand 
Pass on the Kelani River; along Galle Face, 
Union Place, Vauxhall Road, and the lake 
to Cinnamon Gardens, returning by way of 
Kollupitiya — one of the attractive residen- 
tial sections of Colombo, and to the suburb 
of Mutwal, north of the fort, and via the 
Cathedral of Santa I^ucia and St. Thomas' 
Episcopal College. 



WASHINGTON : GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1920 




Forty-Five 



COLOMBO 



MEMORANDUM 

These blank pages should be used to note items of interest which you will want to remember 



Forty-Six 



COLOMBO 



MEMORANDUM 



Forty-Seven 



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